Florence. A short runway, ten minutes from the Duomo.
Florence is about as close to a great Italian city centre as an airport gets, and about as restrictive. The runway decides which aircraft can use it, and the limited traffic zone decides where your car is allowed to stop. Both are worth knowing before the flight is planned.
The airport
Amerigo Vespucci at a glance
- CodesFLR / LIRQAt Peretola, about 9 kilometres north west of the centre of Florence, with the motorway alongside.
- RunwayOne runway of about 1,560 metresShort by business aviation standards. It suits turboprops, light jets and some midsize types depending on load, temperature and the day.
- The alternativePisa Galileo Galilei (PSA)About an hour to an hour and twenty from Florence by road, with a long runway and no aircraft size argument. Many Tuscany trips fly there and drive.
- Private handlingGeneral aviation is handled on the fieldPrivate arrivals are processed away from the commercial queues. Slots and prior permission apply and are dealt with by your operator.
This is one of the few airports where the aircraft choice is not a preference but a constraint. If your operator says the type will not take Florence, they are not being difficult. A new, longer runway has been proposed for years and is not built, so plan around what exists.
Journey times
Across Tuscany by road
| Between | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Florence airport and the centre | 15 to 30 minutes | Set down at the edge of the restricted zone, then a short walk |
| Florence airport and Fiesole | 30 to 40 minutes | Up the hill, and lovely |
| Pisa (PSA) and Florence | 1 hour to 1 hour 20 | Straightforward motorway, busier on a Friday evening |
| Florence and Siena | About 1 hour 15 by the fast road | Two hours or more by the Chiantigiana, which is worth the time |
| Florence and the Chianti estates | 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 | Depending on the estate, and the last stretch is often unmade |
| Siena and the Val d'Orcia | 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 | Depending on which village |
| Florence and Forte dei Marmi | 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 45 | The Versilia coast, and slow along the seafront in August |
| Florence and Bologna | 1 hour to 1 hour 30 | Over the Apennines, and a useful alternative airport in bad weather |
Realistic ranges, not promises. Cars in Tuscany are arranged through operators we know; our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester.
The bit that catches people out
The ZTL, and the walk at the end of it
The centre of Florence sits inside a limited traffic zone enforced by camera, in force on weekdays and Saturday daytimes, with an additional restriction on summer evenings. Unauthorised vehicles that pass a camera collect a fine in the post weeks later. Many of the best hotels are inside the zone, and several of the best streets are pedestrian all the time.
Handled properly, this is a non-event. The local operators we use hold the permits their work requires, hotels can register a vehicle for a specific arrival, and where neither applies the answer is an agreed set down a short walk from the door, with the luggage taken in by porter. What we will not do is pretend a car can go somewhere it cannot and let you find out at the barrier.
The same principle applies in the hill towns. Siena, San Gimignano, Montepulciano and Pienza all restrict vehicles in their centres, and the last hundred metres to a country estate is frequently a white gravel road. Telling us the actual address, rather than the town, is what lets us choose the right car and warn you about the walk.
Planning it well
What we ask about first
Five things that shape a Tuscany arrival.
- Which airport the aircraft can actually use. Florence for smaller types, Pisa or Bologna for anything larger, and the difference is an hour of road
- The exact address, including the estate or villa name, because the last stretch is often unsurfaced and unlit
- The luggage and the passengers together. Tuscany trips travel heavy and the roads are narrow
- Whether the itinerary wanders. Many clients keep a car and chauffeur for several days rather than book transfers one at a time. See hourly and as directed and multi day tours
- The season. May, June and September are the busy months in Tuscany, and August is hot, quiet in the cities and crowded on the coast
Onward
Around a Tuscany trip
Airports
Request a quote
Tell us the arrival
Date and time, tail number or operator, passengers and luggage, and the full address including the estate or villa. If you are still deciding between Florence and Pisa, tell us both and we will compare the drives honestly. We come back with a clear price and a realistic time. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Florence transfers
Are these your own cars?
No. Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester. In Tuscany cars are arranged through operators we know, and one person at Odyssey holds the whole movement together.
Why might the aircraft not be able to use Florence?
The runway is about 1,560 metres, which is short. Whether a given type can use it depends on the aircraft, the load, the temperature and the conditions on the day. Your operator will tell you, and Pisa is the usual answer when it cannot.
Will the car take us to the hotel door?
Wherever the rules allow. Much of central Florence is camera enforced or pedestrian only, so we agree the nearest permitted set down point in advance and tell you what the walk is.
Is Pisa a downgrade?
No. It costs you about an hour of easy motorway and removes every aircraft argument. For a group, or for anything larger than a light jet, it is often the better plan.
Can we keep the car for the week?
Yes, and in Tuscany it is the usual arrangement. See hourly and as directed.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes. See private jet charter and choosing a jet category.